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The final track of an album is something that most bands do the same. It’s usually the longest or one of the longest songs on the album. This is due in large part to some odd parts that carry the song on longer than it should so it feels like the album is ending. You add an extra 20-35 seconds with the last song on the fade alone if you go that route. The weird instrumental portion in the middle of the song adds like 40-60 seconds. I mention this first with White Lies because every song on “Ritual” feels like it’s the last song on the record. There’s at least an extra minute to all of these songs that doesn’t need to be there. That’s the main problem with “Ritual”, if you trim all of these songs by a minute, it would be a much more enjoyable listen. For that problem, there’s still some good things to listen on “Ritual.” “Bigger Than Us" is what this band should always sound like and it compares well to other UK alternative art staples like Bloc Party and Editors. “The Power & The Glory” is also a nice track and it’s a welcome break from the second half of the album that's otherwise very repetitive. White Lies’ second album is far from perfect, but if you’re into alternative music with an artistic UK twist then you'll like this. If you’re into bands like Bloc Party, Editors, and Travis (White Lies is like a mixture of those three bands), then you’ll like this album. If you don’t like any of those bands then you'll want to stay away from this one.